House
by RisemboolRanger
Summary: Drabble (Flash Fiction Project). Side story to "Thinking Out Loud". When most people move out, it's because they want to. For Chihiro, it's more of a necessity, but even she can't deny the excitement of the possibility of moving in with someone she loves. Tadashi/OC


"And... that should do it."

Sure enough, the computer screen flickered back to life. Chihiro's search that she'd wanted to keep was still there, safe. She smiled gratefully. She really wasn't very good with technology. Her old computer was almost half her age. It came in handy to have a boyfriend who was quite literally a genius with anything technical.

"I didn't do anything stupid to it, did I?" She had visions that she'd simply pulled a wire out when she'd tried moving the screen, though she hadn't been able to see anything when she'd taken a peek herself.

Tadashi laughed, climbing out from behind the desk. "No, the casing's just started to come loose on one of the wires. They become temperamental once they start fraying. I've taped it for now, so it should stay in place. I'll pick you up a new one after class."

"Oh, you don't have to do that; I can pick one up myself," Chihiro insisted hastily. He was already her tech support - she didn't want to make him her personal shopper as well.

Tadashi gave her an amused look, one eyebrow arching high in his good-natured face. "Would you even know what you're looking for?"

"Erm, is it the one that looks like a little duck's mouth?"

"You mean a USB?"

"Who knows?"

He laughed and rumpled her hair. "I'll get it for you; it's no trouble. Though this thing is getting dangerously close to ancient. Don't you think it's time you put it out to pasture?"

"No way, I like my computer," Chihiro protested.

"Are you sure? I think the museum of technology might be looking for something from this era..."

Chihiro gave him a shove. "Don't be mean," she pouted.

Tadashi rubbed his shoulder, smiling. "Technically, shouldn't you be thanking me for the repairs, rather than beating on me?"

"Well, I was going to before you started picking on Old Rusty." Old Rusty was their term for anything old, but faithful. In her case, that was most things she owned.

"Sorry, Rusty," Tadashi grinned, patting the computer's monitor. His eyes flickered to the search on the screen. "You're still looking for apartments, huh?"

"More in hope," Chihiro admitted. "Now that I've got an idea of prices, I know I still can't afford it yet."

Tadashi pulled off his trademark baseball cap and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Y'know, I've been thinking a lot about that..."

"What; that I'm just getting my hopes up?"

"Actually, I was thinking how about a house instead?"

Chihiro frowned. "I can't even afford an apartment. How could I afford a house?"

"You could with me," said Tadashi unexpectedly, which made her stop in her tracks. When she just stared at him, he added, "I get enough from my grant. We both have spotless credit records, so we should easily be eligible for a mortgage. There's some new houses a few blocks away from the café, which are supposedly ideal for first time buyers..." He trailed off as he realised that Chihiro still wasn't saying anything. "I mean, if you wanted to..."

He suddenly looked awkward and made to put his cap back on, but Chihiro reached for his arm and stayed his hand. "Are you saying we should buy a house together?"

"That or I just worked all that out for fun," Tadashi joked. He still seemed uncertain, like he wasn't sure what her answer was going to be. "I can't stay at the café and share a room with Hiro forever. When you said you were looking to move out, it just got me thinking..."

Chihiro felt like a whole new world had suddenly just been opened up to her. She'd grown tired of living in a tiny bedroom, especially now that she'd saved enough money for the new piano she wanted and that certainly wouldn't fit anywhere in it. She'd always been pretty independent, so moving out had just been the next logical step. She'd certainly never thought about getting a place with someone else. Tadashi would have been the only prospect for that and she'd just always assumed that he was happy at the café with the last of his family.

Only now that the idea had actually been presented to her - that he was the one who had suggested it; that he clearly really wanted it - she realised that she wanted it too. More than anything, in fact. She'd never really imagined herself as being domesticated, but nothing had ever made her as happy as Tadashi had. All she wanted was to be with him. In every sense of the word.

She'd clearly been quiet for too long, because something crossed Tadashi's face that she'd never seen in him before. Disappointment. "It was just an idea. You can think about it first if you like. Or not, if you don't want to..."

Chihiro reassured him in the best way she knew. She reached both hands up to his shoulders and tugged on the lapels of his blazer. It was what she did when she wanted to kiss him, because he was too tall for her to manage it without help. He looked surprised for a moment, then smiled as he bent his head down, Chihiro craning hers upwards to meet him. She pressed her lips to his, softly at first, then deeper as her arms slid up to twine around his neck. The baseball cap fell out of Tadashi's hand and onto the floor.

Chihiro pulled back for just a moment. "Yes. A thousand times, yes."


End file.
